Icewind dale 2

[Cyseal]

I have a quite long and frozen winter so I was wondering if this is a good game to spend time till White march part 2?

If anybody played it could would you recommend it?

[Sarex]

I have a quite long and frozen winter so I was wondering if this is a good game to spend time till White march part 2?

If anybody played it could would you recommend it?

 

Well most of the people here will tell you that it is the worst Infinity Engine game for them. As for me, it's my favorite game out of them (I'm a little biased though as this was my first IE game). The atmosphere is great and it's what makes it really stand out. The story is pretty standard, although it's not really you saving the world but the Ten Towns. Also be warned that the game is linear, although it was designed to be so (it's a dungeon crawler). The length of the game is huge by today's standards.

 

All in all I say give it a shot. If it doesn't hook you by the end of chapter one, you can always drop it.

[Woldan]

The first time I played that game it was a very cold winter and I enjoyed it immensely, the atmosphere, immersion and encounters are a lot of fun and the maps are very nice. Not to forget the excellent soundtrack.

You can't go wrong with it. 

Edited November 29, 2015 by Woldan

[Fenixp]

If you haven't played the original Icewind Dale, I would suggest starting with that, it even has an Enhanced Edition out (which I personally wouldn't recommend playing, but I'm also a crazy evil purist). I feel like it's a bit better title overall. Nonetheless, you can't really go wrong with the second game either.

[Majek]

 

Well most of the people here will tell you that it is the worst Infinity Engine game for them.

 

Who are these "most people here" ?

[Humanoid]

The only IE game with a sensible ruleset, so it has that going for it.

 

(I first came into contact with this community because and during the development of IWD2, so it does have a little sentimental spot in my heart)

[Ganrich]

Music and ambiance are amazing. Stepping off the boat at the beginning to the track Skeleton of a Town really sets an amazing mood. The story is pretty bog standard, but it is what it is. 3rd edition rules make it stand out from the other I.E. Games, and I see that as a plus. Not because I like 3rd more than 2nd, but because it makes IWD2 different, and that is good for me depending on my mood. I think all the infinity engine titles have pluses and minuses, but I still enjoy them all for different reasons. I always want to play the IWD games when it is snowing. So, I would go for it.

[Sarex]

Who are these "most people here" ?

 

There were some discussions and I got that impression. Also it's considered to be the weakest of the IE games.

[HoonDing]

"Also it's considered to be the weakest of the IE games."

 

Because it is.

[Majek]

 

There were some discussions and I got that impression. Also it's considered to be the weakest of the IE games.

 

Still better than EE versions. :D

 

(I first came into contact with this community because and during the development of IWD2, so it does have a little sentimental spot in my heart)

Holy crap, that's true.

[majestic]

I liked IWD2 a great deal when it came out, in spite of the terrible ruleset and point buy character generation. It has some of the most interesting areas of the IE games and you'll find a few things in there that no other IE game, not counting PS:T, tried. Although the result is a bit of a mixed bag. All in all it has more interesting battles than the first IWD and much improved pacing, but it is also, out of the box, the hardest of all the IE games and it is definitely too long for its own good.

 

The story is pretty meh, but servicable enough the first time around.

 

It's definitely worth playing considering that you can get it for almost free these days when it is on sale.

[Nonek]

I'd add another yes vote, along with most of the cautions used above, the game is hard but it is also fair. There are high points to the game and low points, for instance the siege of Targos is very much one of my favourite areas and moments in a game, the build up, the effect you can have on the course of it and the interesting combat. However there are simply tiresome slogs and grinds made to pad the length of the game, and the game sometimes rubs that in your face, which is not exactly a welcome thing to do.

 

All told i enjoyed my time with the game, and at some point mean to replay it, so i'd recommend it to anybody else as well. I still think the story begun there has room to continue, and there seems to be several hints made along with groundwork laid in the game. It is also quite reverential towards the original game, and others set in the AD&D multiverse, see if you can spot yet another incarnation of Ravel Puzzlewell?

[aluminiumtrioxid]

 

 

Well most of the people here will tell you that it is the worst Infinity Engine game for them.

 

 

Who are these "most people here" ?

 

 

Me, among others.

 

If linear dungeon crawlers with average story, extremely limited freedom and essentially no meaningful character interaction aren't your thing, steer clear of this one.

 

The prologue is excellent though (I'd hazard the guess it's probably the best prologue among the IE games) and it has a few dungeons with cool gimmicks.

[Zoraptor]

I'd consider it the worst of the IE games as well, but still consider it a good game overall and worth playing. It has a distinctly mechanistic feel to it that the others lack and feels far more linear and 'grindy' than even its predecessor.

[CoM_Solaufein]

Besides Planescape Torment, its one of the IE games that I never finished. I'd get half way through and grow bored of it. No matter how many times I start a new game, I'd get bored. Just not for me. Icewind Dale on the other hand is close to game perfection. Now with the EE version, even better. Good story, great character building, good treasure, awesome areas to explore and a perfect beautiful soundtrack.

[Majek]

EE versions are never better.

[Agiel]

It would actually be my second favourite Infinity Engine game behind BG2. The barebones plot (get your party from the left of the screen to the right, occasionally do it from right to left) doesn't get in the way of the superb encounter design and the sheer joy of experimenting with different party builds.

 

Oh, that, and DnD RPGs finally dropped THAC0.

Edited November 29, 2015 by Agiel

[Darkpriest]

Yeah, I like it most out of the IE games, probably because it has 3ed ruleset, which for me was far better than 2ed.

 

Also encounters were interesting and plot was decent enough. Not every game needs to be BG/Planescape to be fun. It was your standard aventrue story with lots of good combat and some interesting dungeons.

 

Did I say 3ed ruleset?

[Gromnir]

inconsistent.  iwd2 were the best ie game in many aspects, and the worst in others... and inexplicably, what it were good at in some parts o' the game, it were terrible at others.  writing and encounters in targos were great.  overall story? rankin and bass did better

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SH1j1luFOw

 

while enemy ai for iwd2 were best of the ie games, it frequent relied on simple mob rush on more than a couple maps.

 

have mentioned more than once that if the enhanced edition games from beamdog had implemented iwd2 3e ruleset, we would been willing to pay $100 for bg, bg2 and iwd ee. iwd2 implementation o' 3eish rules were far superior and more flexible than anything from earlier ie games or from beamdog.

 

as were typical o' the black isle games, the production values in iwd2 were beyond reproach.  art and music were fantastic.  we would still claim that iwd had the best overall music o' any ie game, and makes our top five all-time game music list, but iwd2 were arguable worthy o' same consideration.

 

 

iwd2 added much unique content, some o' which were fantastic, and much o' which shoulda' been left on the cutting room floor. is not as if iwd2 deserves special consideration just 'cause the development were troubled and abbreviated.  desperate and rushed were iwd2... desperate, rushed and inconsistent.  the game represented both the pinnacle and nadir of ie games.  we would not hesitate to recommend iwd2 to fans o' the ie games, but if such fans claimed that iwd2 were horrible or terrible, it would be difficult for Gromnir to argue against such a position.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Tigranes]

Looks beautiful like other IE games, probably the most combat-heavy, but any Icewind Dale game you'd play for the fighting and the winter atmosphere rather than the actual story. The 3rd edition adaptation is actually very good, and makes it fresh. I enjoy it a lot. Most of what Gromnir says iss correct. Anyway, I'd get it if you enjoyed IE combat.

[Cantousent]

I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I still think Icewind Dale was better. I think it was a great game, and I'm probably a little more generous than Gromnir, but I have to admit there was a funny thing going on in the forums for a while about the frost dart. For an early implementation of the 3.x rules, I think it gets a lot of cred.

[ShadySands]

Starter town was great fun but after that I lost interest and never finished the game

[Majek]

If you make a list. Stop talking for others, you are not the voice of anyone but yourself.

[sorophx]

considering the fact that the original BG was the first IE game, and, therefore, the most boring and bland one (Bioware was still learning the toolset, after all), I am always surprised to see people place it so high up. BG is undoubtedly the worst IE game.

 

hell, it's probably worse than ToEE (though, that's subjective). but better than IWD 2? no way. I do agree, that IWD is a better game overall, but still IWD 2 holds up well. 

 

and I wouldn't even consider PST in the same league as these games. it's more of a CYOA type of game, while other IE games are dungeon crawlers with various degrees of freedom.